Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2000 21:01:20 MST From: DJs Tale <djs_tale@hotmail.com> Subject: Forever-53 Author's Notes -------------- Surprise one and all. Thought I'd give you a BRIEF taste of 'Forever', just to keep y'all interested. I am currently in sunny Florida, with the red-face to show for it. Just a precaution, it is possible to get a sunburn in a car if the car is a convertible! One would think I'd figure that out sooner or later ;-) Anyway, my trip is going well, so I thought I'd post a chapter for ya. Hope you enjoy it! Disclaimer ---------- Whatever...yada yada yada...blah blah blah And now...Forever... Chapter 53 I stood there at the door, staring out at my unexpected visitor. Now I knew why she'd seemed familiar. I'd seen her picture a number of times, her smiling face usually snapped with my current boyfriend. I shook myself and plastered on a fake smile. "Sure, come in," I said. I ushered her in, and she walked past. She stopped and waited for me to close the door. I moved down the hall and waved vaguely at the living room. "Kev's crashed in there with Nick. Um...make yourself at home. I need to get back to work. Excuse me," I rushed the words, trying to get out of there. I didn't really feel like talking to her right then. Or ever, actually. I practically sprinted up the stairs and into the master bedroom. I quickly closed the door and then just stood there a moment, thinking. Kev's fiance. Here. In my house. With him. Frankly, it was more than I wanted to deal with, so I didn't. I walked over to the boxes of books that I'd been unpacking when I was interrupted and just started unpacking again. A few minutes later, I heard a knock at the door. I ignored it, figuring that whoever it was would probably come in no matter whether I answered or not. I was right. Nick's blond head popped in a moment later. "Dylan?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. I didn't answer him. He could see me working there, so it seemed redundant to point out the obvious by answering. Besides, I didn't really trust my voice at the moment. Nick walked in the rest of the way, closing the door behind him. He walked over and started to put a hand on my shoulder, but I ducked away. "Nick, now's not really a good time," I said, my voice harsh and clipped. Nick sighed before turning away. He didn't leave, however. He just walked back over to the bed and sat down, picking up a magazine that I'd tossed there while unpacking. I just continued working while he sat there. I'd managed to get through another box of stuff before there was another knock at the door. Nick got up and answered it. I was surprised to hear Lindsay's voice when he opened the door. I had been sure it would be Kevin coming to tell me what the hell his fiance was doing at my house. "Dylan, you need to come downstairs," Lindsay said. "Thanks just the same, dear, but I'd rather not," I replied, still using the same clipped tone. "Dylan," she said firmly. I looked at her face. "Now." I could hear her voice as I walked down the stairs. I couldn't hear what she was saying, though. I paused about halfway down, but Lindsay pushed me from behind. Nick brought up the rear. When I walked into the living room, I saw Kevin sitting on the couch, just staring into nothing. Kari was sitting beside him, her hand on his shoulder. That was something I could've lived without seeing. Kari stood and walked over to me when I came in. I had to admit, she was beautiful. She had a small smile on her face, as though she wanted to be happy to meet me but she knew the feeling wasn't returned. "Hi, you must be Dylan," she held out her hand to me. I paused, staring at it a moment before Lindsay nudged me. I shook hands with her. "And you're Kari," I said quietly, pulling my hand back to my side. She nodded. I walked over to the window and looked out over the front yard. Scot was playing basketball with his sister in their driveway. From the looks of things, she was kicking his tail. "Dylan," Lindsay's voice came to me, "why don't you sit down?" When I turned, I noticed she was motioning me to sit next to Kevin. "Thanks, Linds. I think I'd rather stand," I replied, turning back to the window. I heard her sigh. The silence in the room grew. I heard a movement and felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Kari standing there. "Dylan, please, I know this is awkward for you," she said softly. "I'm sorry for that. Please believe that I never would've shown up like this if it weren't important." We stared at each other for a moment. The two loves in Kevin's life, one secret and the other public. In a strange way, that bonded the two of us together. I gave in and nodded. I turned and walked over to the couch. Kevin was still just sitting there. I sat next to him, moving in close. I slid an arm over to his, reaching in to grab his hand. He responded then, turning to look at me. He looked pretty haggard. His eyes were distant, lost. I finally realized that something pretty major was wrong. I leaned in and gave him a light kiss. He lifted his free hand to my cheek, holding our lips together. He seemed to be taking comfort in the touch, so I let it continue as long as he wanted it. "Kevin, he needs to know," Lindsay's voice interrupted us. I still didn't pull back, letting Kevin determine when things ended. He moved his lips away a second later, gazing into my eyes. "Please, don't ever forget I love you," he said, almost pleading with me to agree. I nodded in reply. He continued to stare at me for a bit before turning to Kari and nodding. "Dylan, again, I'm sorry. I know it's an intrusion for me to be here and," she began before I interrupted her. "Kari, no, it's not an intrusion," I said, looking at her a second before looking away. "Look, I'm the one who should be sorry. I was really an ass when you came in, and you didn't deserve it. I know you're only doing what you're doing to help Kevin. And me, I guess." "How `bout we both just agree we're sorry and move on?" she asked, a smile lighting her face. I nodded, smiling back. "Good, now that that's settled," Lindsay broke in, "I think there's something Dylan needs to be told." I looked over at her with an eyebrow raised. She just shook her head and nodded her head at Kari. "I came here for a reason, Dylan. Something's happened that's gonna have an impact on all of us: you, me, and Kevin." She paused, looking at me. I wasn't sure what she wanted, but I nodded anyway. "I don't know how much Kev has told you about our relationship. His and mine, I mean. We dated each other a long time ago. But, we both decided that things just weren't right, so after a rough patch or two, we went back to being friends." I nodded. This I pretty much knew. "We've stayed in touch over the years, mostly on the phone or through e-mail. You know what his schedule's like," she smiled a little at me then. "He talks about you all the time. I feel like I already know you." I just sort of smiled back. I couldn't really say the same thing, and I think she guessed that. "Well, anyway, Kevin called me a few weeks ago, when his managers decided that he needed to...emphasize his straight side, and asked me if I'd be willing to become his fiance for a while. I'll admit, I wasn't really comfortable about the idea. But, Kev's always been a good friend, so I agreed to help him out." She glanced away then, a distracted, sad look in her eyes. "Unfortunately, something's happened now that puts a little bit of a crimp in our original plan." I felt Kevin squeeze my hand. Kari looked back to stare at my eyes. "I'm pregnant." To be continued --------------- Yes, I know this was brief, and yes, another major cliffhanger. Sorry, but in this case, it had to be done. There're a lot of changes in store in the near future, so hope you all enjoy the ride. Next chapters should be posted no later than Monday, provided the chaos resulting in my sudden popularity in the job market settles down enough. And, yes, it will be longer.